MK Party and IEC end legal dispute over Duduzane Zuma’s election remarks

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The MK Party and the Electoral Commission of South Africa have settled their latest legal dispute, withdrawing opposing applications before the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban over remarks by the party’s first deputy president, Duduzane Zuma, and youth league president Qiniso Cibane at a public event in Umlazi on 25 October.

The MK Party (MKP) and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) have settled their latest legal dispute, withdrawing opposing applications before the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban over remarks by the party’s first deputy president, Duduzane Zuma, and youth league president Qiniso Cibane at a public event in Umlazi on 25 October.

Party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said the remarks centred on allegations that the IEC had manipulated the 2024 election results, claims the commission denies.

“Although the MK Party and its leadership remain aggrieved about certain aspects of the 2024 elections, the party respects the outcomes of the relevant court processes, which absolved the commission. Any contrary impression is therefore regrettable.”

READ | MK Party demands fresh elections - in third court bid to overturn May 2024 results

The party said it had investigated Cibane’s remarks, describing his engagements as “typically robust” but insisting he had never intended to impugn the commission’s credibility.

Internal measures had already been taken to counsel him to be more circumspect.

The settlement is the latest retreat in former president Jacob Zuma’s party’s stubborn campaign to overturn the May 2024 results that has failed at every judicial turn.

News24 previously reported that in the run-up to the 29 May 2024 elections, the MKP declared it was on course for a two-thirds majority, despite several polls and analysts saying otherwise.

As the elections drew nearer, the party also sought to discredit the IEC and spread disinformation about the electoral process.

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